'We can do big things': Shapiro unveils $600M makeover for Downtown Pittsburgh

Buoyed by nearly $600 million of investments, a new plan for Downtown Pittsburgh unveiled Friday by Gov. Josh Shapiro includes nearly 1,000 new housing units, improvements to public spaces in the Golden Triangle and increased public safety efforts.

“To have a strong and vibrant commonwealth of Pennsylvania, you have to have a strong and vibrant Pittsburgh,” Shapiro said at a news conference at the Backyard public space on Penn Avenue. “I believe in the city of Pittsburgh. We can do big things here in Pittsburgh when we work together.”

The 10-year strategy laid out Friday focuses on creating more opportunities for people of any income to live Downtown, reinvigorating public spaces and making the neighborhood cleaner, safer and more culturally vibrant.

It includes a $62.6 million investment from the state, with millions more coming from the Urban Redevelopment Authority, nonprofits, businesses and developers.

“Downtown Pittsburgh, like many core urban neighborhoods, was hit hard by the pandemic and has struggled to regain its footing,” Pennsylvania Sen. Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills, said. “But by banding together, we have restored our downtown before, and we are prepared to do it again, sparking a new and better era.”

He likened the plan to “our next renaissance” in a nod given to earlier Downtown renewal projects dubbed the Pittsburgh Renaissance I and II.

Market Square, Point State Park

The revitalization initiative includes mixed-use development projects that will convert to housing: Gulf Tower; City Club Apartments at the former YWCA headquarters; The Porter; the office complex at 933 Penn Ave.; Smithfield Lots Building; and a former office complex at First and Market Streets. Eighty-six existing apartments will be preserved at the May Building.

That totals about 1,000 housing units, a third of which will be designated as affordable housing for low-income residents, Shapiro said.

Those projects — totaling over $501 million in investments — also will include street-level commercial space, restaurants and hotel rooms.

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is spearheading a $30 million project to convert underutilized parking lots and open space in the Cultural District into an outdoor event destination that would host festivals and performances, provide restrooms and offer green space, public art and a family play area.

Another $30 million investment to renovate Market Square will include improving paving, adding benches and tables, expanding dining spaces and creating more areas to host events.

The Backyard site that hosted Friday’s announcement also is set to see improvements, Shapiro said, including a water play area.

The state will revitalize Point State Park, with new walkways and improved lighting around the iconic fountain in place before the city hosts the 2026 NFL Draft.

In future phases of the $25 million project, the park will get new basketball and tennis courts, a dog park and improved connections to Downtown, the governor said.

What ‘yinzers’ deserve

Such investments will showcase the city in a positive light for the draft, which is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of football fans, said Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato.

“It’s going to be great for tourism,” Innamorato said. “But it’s really about the people who live here, because yinzers deserve nice things.”

Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development predicted the 10-year revitalization effort will create more than 3,500 construction jobs over the next four years.

The plan also sees additional investments for small businesses looking to relocate to or expand in the city and a $400,000 state grant to create an artist-in-residence program through which local artists and musicians can showcase their work.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Pirates are each contributing $1 million to public safety.

Public safety improvements will include hiring civilians to help people suffering from mental illness or drug addiction, bolstering homeless outreach services and launching a new youth violence intervention team.

Shapiro said the teams’ contributions also will fund two additional Pittsburgh police officers to work Downtown.

‘Skin in the game’

Officials touted the collaborative effort behind the initiative, with state, county and local government working in tandem with sports teams, businesses, nonprofits and other partners.

“Everyone has understood the importance of having skin in the game,” Shapiro said. “For those companies that haven’t stepped up yet, you know who you are, I know who you are, and there’s still a whole lot of room at the table.”

Downtown property values have plummeted since the covid-19 pandemic, a problem that has plagued Pittsburgh and other cities struggling to fill offices in the wake of a widespread shift to remote work.

This plan, Mayor Ed Gainey said, will transform those empty offices into much-needed housing for all income levels, create community spaces to encourage people to bring their families Downtown and ensure people feel safe in the Golden Triangle.

“That’s what we want Downtown,” Gainey said.